This week the Religious Activities Center lives up to its name. Passover began last night. Christians will observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The Muslim community will have their regular noon prayers on Friday overflowing into the main dining room. The Christians in our community will be moving back and forth to the chapel as Catholics and Protestants observe Good Friday. On Sunday St. Paul's AME Church will have it's Easter Service in Kresge and that evening Dr. Heidi Baker will hold a worship service at 7:30 in Kresge.
It is a vital and respectful time as all of these traditions observe important rituals and intersect as they meet each other. The space we share at MIT means that there is a foundation of respect that fosters civility and humility before differences. In these difficult times, economically and religiously, observing this interaction may be the best sermon one can hear on Easter.
This is also a time for families to come together. My wife and I will be in Denver with our daughter for Easter. While single, she has a community of friends and family who join her for a celebratory meal. It is a good time of the year as the world tilts a bit toward warmth and we observe rebirth all around us.
For students this is a time of renewed focus as they point toward the end of the school year. Observed religious traditions for many make the final push more palatable and friendships often cross religious boundaries once thought impermeable. It is a good time to remember that things do change.
blessings,
Robert M. Randolph
News from MIT's Chaplain to the Institute
